Autonomy
by Artificially Intelligent Data Anomaly
Summary: Mario Kart oneshot. Something short and sweet to read. Review if you wish. Personal freedom is found on the racetrack, along with an important lesson.


_**Story edited: 04.26.08. Random, I know.**_

--

Exhaust filled her nostrils, good as any high. The wind violently played with her hair, a young fairy with malicious motives, sending her to nirvana. Scenes flew past at the speed of some scientific term she didn't know or care about.

Truly, this was where she belonged.

A tight curve was upon her. She laughed softly, drifting through it with the silent grace of royalty. Breaking slightly would've been an option, but the feeling of being almost, just _almost _thrown out of the kart was exhilarating. The thought of evading a bloody meeting of her face and the pavement gave her an ill sort of joy -- a joy that would never see the light of day anywhere but here.

Suddenly, something gold flashed in the air beside her. Had she leaned towards the pavement a bit too much?

In an instant, her left arm shot out into the air, snatching the object and placing it atop her head. She wasn't fazed in the slightest.

Wearing a wicked grin, she gripped her steering wheel a bit tighter and accelerated. Thinking back to the drift, she scolded herself for not getting a speed boost then.

Things went smoothly for a couple of laps, as they always did. No one else was on the track, and all obstacles had been removed prior to her arrival -- not that she needed the extra help.

--

Then, _It _came. It _always_ came, no matter what course she drove. The only thing she truly feared. . .

When It first arrived, she hadn't noticed. Her kart had no mirrors, so it was impossible to see behind her. Besides, It always started out at the beginning, usually when she was well into the track. It loved to toy with her in such a way.

It announced itself with sound: the haunting whine of Its engine. It was a melody all its own; one that she had heard many times before. When It got closer, you could hear Its wheels grinding against the pavement in the most familiar way.

That was the most terrifying part: Its familiarity.

She gripped the steering wheel, nervous and tense. This obscene panic always took over when It was near, beseeching her to go faster, faster, faster! until she went off the road or smashed into a guardrail. She could never fight or stop the panic; it was as if she was born prey and It the ultimate predator.

It was now upon her - no less than several yards away, lazily trailing behind. The panic began to rise, making its way to her throat. Steady, steady. Mustn't crash or go into the rough and lose speed. It would be counter-productive, but oh! how this phantom terrorized her - _plagued _her! It was on her courses, in her mind, and even in her _dreams_.

She thought quickly. Every time It had appeared, It beat her to the finish line. That was the worst part; It showed her that there was something she couldn't win. Her self-confidence had been rattled to the bone. . . It had even prevented her from competing in the Grand Prix with the others.

Something snapped, becoming as still and resolute as stone. I am tired of this, it said. How_ dare_ It toy with me! I shall stop this! She narrowed her eyes. Today would be the day when it would _not _win.

It was time to end the haunting.

--

She drove astoundingly. Never in the Mushroom Kingdom's history had a person so skillfully handled the contours, zigzags, and bumps of this course, and no one came close to her speed.

In her mind, the course itself disappeared. She went so fast, it was all a meaningless blur, anyway. Only one thought remained in her mind:

Defeat the demon.

--

She violently jerked the steering wheel as she crossed the finish line, spinning her kart around. She knew that she won and was confident that she put considerable distance between the "demon" and herself. It was time to face her stalker.

When she saw It, she reeled with shock. It was right in front of her, its front bumper nudging her own. It was in a duplicate of her car, with her crown, her pink racing outfit, and her secret, confident smirk only revealed during her private time on the courses. The only difference between the two was the duplicate's transparency.

It was her. Her Ghost.

"All this time, my worst enemy was..."

The Ghost smiled and disappeared.

--

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This is just a short one-shot to read if you've nothing else better to do. I came up with the concept while playing Super Mario Kart, and I managed to incorporate a life lesson into it, so I figured, hey, why not?

As to why I chose Peach. . . Well, hopefully you figured out that it was Peach. I really didn't think that Daisy would work. She's just a tomboy, and besides, it wouldn't be very shocking if it were her. I like to think that Peach has a darker side to her. . .a more imperfect side.

**Edit**: I recently reread this and thought, "Oh, wow, this really kinda sucks." I still don't like the suddenness of her resolution toward the end, but I think the words themselves have been cleaned up a bit. It made me feel really great to do that. Hope you can enjoy it a bit more now!

Thank you for reading.

__

- A i D A


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